> Is there a rule ?I don't know for sure. I very often read and post on American public and private forums. I roughly personally tend to use the perfect when I'm laying stress on the duration of the action (with a continous form if it's still on); this use is what I could determine when reading my Am. colleagues' texts.

My and my colleagues' uses of perfect are not as frequent as the use in the National Geographic (which is very good Am English - but not street language).

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

I realize Americans spell fetus and fetal instead of foetus and foetal.

What are they doing with aborted fetal cells in soft drinks?? ( https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=317856398327807&set=a.310985679014879.72836.225921714187943&type=1&ref=nf )

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

As I keep repeating it, if you want to master a language, from a certain level, you absolutely need to know everything ie your learning will never end.

There are lots of little words or expressions that we rarely find in school books which are tricky.An ESL (English as a second Language) usually tends to apply their French pattern to English . Given the numerous similarities and false cognates between both languages, there's a good chance they fall into the trap.

A few words I'm thinking of:

- "salad" is not lettuce and needs a modifier- "Coca" is not our Fr "Coca/Coca Cola" but the company; the beverage is "Coke"- "Basket" is neither the sport nor the shoe we French are thinking about.

Lots of misunderstandings like that!Problem is that using "salad", "Coca", or "Basket", EMT will understand something but not the thing you really mean (they will not understand your mistake immediately as it simply won't match the context - if you're speaking to friends, they will ask you; if you're making a speech, people will think your language is poor and the audience will be lost).

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

There are lots of little words or expressions that we rarely find in school books which are tricky..

There are a lot of shades of meaning of brown translated into French. Brown eyes = Beurre rouxBrown pencil=Crayon bistreBrown shoes=chaussures marronBrown paper=Papier grisBrown hair cheveux châtainsI will try to find more in my next post

Hello everyoneKeep off the grass= Ne marchez pas sur le gazonUnder new management=Changement de propriétairemen at work=Travaux en coursDrive slowly=Marchez au pasTo the boat=Accès au paquebotTo the tracks=Accès au quaisto the trains=Accès aux quaisslippery when wet=chaussée glissante par temps humideIn public notices it is interesting to see the importance of the English prepositon or postpositionI have found them in one of my university years 'book = Stylistique comparée de l'Anglais et du Français.

> the importance of the English prepositon or postpositionVery interesting indeed!Good nights learning by heart.

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

In this topic ("True English"), we try to speak about simple needs that we hardly find in schoolbooks and when we have to speak, we don't know well what to say as if it was too simple to be learned (Am spelling of the British "learnt") or taught.

An example would be interjections...- how do you write the English for our French "Ouf !" expressing relief?... Phew!- how do you write the English for our French "Euh !" expressing hesitation?... Er- how do you write the English for our French "Hum !" expressing doubt?... Hm!- of course, there're lots... of mysteries like these.

~~

-1-Now, I would like your help re (regarding) different writings in English for our French "merci" (I used "writings" which means also abbreviations).

-2-I also need your participation in both French and English to respond to a "Merci !" as I don't really know.

--2,1- in French, according to the social level, manners, situation, region... I could hear (I try to write them in decreasing order of frequency) "de rien", "je vous en prie", "à votre service", "au plaisir" (south west of France), "pas de problème", etc. you probably know other ways.

--2,2- what are the responses heard in English?Once, in my job, I got a solution to a hard issue I had in my work. This took a weight off my shoulders and I warmly thanked my colleague. I was rather surprised and disappointed by his response which was: "That's my job!" I had the impression he was refusing my words, refusing my thanks.I discussed this with an EMT who told me it was not usual but not that surprising. The explanation was that the Brits are very polite and the response to a "thank you" is more a reflex but they don't feel comfortable with feelings and emotion so that, these words just meant a kind of shyness or awkwardness.That is my anecdote of the day!

- in my opinion, a response in English is quite mandatory (automatic) while it's not so frequent in French (do you agree with me? don't you?)I personally tested this in English and I got 7 responses to my 7 "thank you" to the same event (on purpose; of course I varied my words to look natural - I was sincere but wanted to check).

Comments?

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

I'm very surprised by "not at all" which would be a "bad translation" of the French "de rien".

Besides, there's a lot of responses and I would like to read them all (helped by all of our members).

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

Ok I will remember and ask my English friends when I see them on tuesday in calais or wednesday in Lille. Il also need your help for preschool vocabulary. As you know I have been speaking English to my grand son Emile this week but I would have liked to be with an English lady to know which expressions are used in England for a preschool child. If you have any in mind, please let me know.

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

Hi GérardIn French to respond to a thank i would say "pas de problème, c'était un plaisir"In English I would say "You are welcome"For my grand son there a lot of expressions I can't translate into English. for instance after he has made a castle with his blocks and the blocks are on the floor again, I would say in French "Cassé". What 's the English ?What is peekaboo please ? I think I should spend some time in a nursery class.

I'm not an EMT but I suppose that they should use simple words such as "Broken!" or "Destroyed!", the face and expressions on the face along with the hands being important to help understanding.

"Peekaboo!" is the word said for our French "coucou !". If the French "separate" the 2 syllables (at least same stress), Americans stress and enlong the last syllable.

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

I am not sure "You are welcome!" is the most usual response in England.

I personally say "you're welcome!" but I'm more American than Brit.I guess that in England, they would rather say:- don't mention it!- never mind!... probably other expressions.

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

It literally means "of nothing" but is more like "It's nothing." For example, when someone thanks you for something and you respond "Don't worry about it!" or "Not at all!" or "It's nothing!", this is what the French use "De rien" for.

"De rien" is most commonly translated and used as saying thank you. People say "merci" and the normal way of saying something back [you're welcome] is by saying "de rien."

( http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_de_rien_mean_in_French )

You'll find "Don't mention it", "you're welcome" on http://mymemory.translated.net/t/French/English/de%20rien%20monsieur which is a summary page.I'm very surprised by "dacor"... I didn't read the details

This page provides "That's ok" and "You' re welcome"-> Easy English to French Word and Phrase Translations

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

-I also need your participation in both French and English to respond to a "Merci !" as I don't really know.

Hi Gérard, Hi everyoneAs I had promised I asked my English friends at the calais polyglot tonightA couple from London and having lived a long time in Surrey said "You're welcome, no problem, its all right, my pleasure"Another English gentleman with a typical English humour added "It's oK this time but don't ask me again" (He also advised me to keep this expression for somebody I really know"Peter from Manchester also said "cheers, don't mention it"Another friend Bernard added that one of his friends from Brighton would also say " It's OK don't mention it, don't worry, that's fine, it's not a problem, you are welcome it's my pleasure "

If you had another opportunity to interview the British members of the café in Calais, please could you ask them if the Brits feel uncomfortable with several "thanks" (Americans are not)? What do they think about the "It's my job" used by my colleague?Tx

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

Hi GerardThere is something else an English friend told me. You say nothing but you just smile (It's true for any language )I will also ask if the Brits feel uncomfortable with several "thanks" and What they think about the "It's my job" used by your colleague.

Hi Gérard, Guilaine, Irène !"subjectivism" is used in French while the English language is more practical. The traduction of certain sentences French into English shows that difference and it is very interesting to note that.Le paysage disparaissait derrière la brume=The landscape was veiled in mistLe froid sévit dans plusieurs régions=cold weather is reported in several regionsUne des fenêtres s'ouvrait au-dessus du magasin=One of the windows above the shopThat aspect which shows how pragmatic the English are. I have found all this in "Stylistique comparée du Français et de l'Anglais". If you happen to have that book we can run through that very interesting book together.

Usual "night" begins around 6 pm in English language, in fact after tea time (so I think) whereas the French use the words "soir & soirée" till last, say 10 pm.So, if a British friend tells you "come with me tonight", you French guy, don't dream you might have gotten a simple visit to the pub!!

NB: We French must not laugh at this British language which doesn't leave much room to "evening"... there's a rather very weird use of "matinée" which can mean "afternoon" in the domain of movie theater, got it?

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

There's the English word "evening", is there a specific word in Spanish too?

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.

gerardM a écrit:... NB: We French must not laugh at this British language which doesn't leave much room to "evening"... there's a rather very weird use of "matinée" which can mean "afternoon" in the domain of movie theater, got it?

I forgot to say that the English word corresponding to "matinée" in the case of a film is... "matinée" .

_________________Please feel free to point out big mistakes in my messages in a foreign language. Thanks to your remarks, I'll be able to improve my level.PS: Pls note that I chose American English for my vocabulary, grammar, spelling, culture, etc.